Posted on

It’s not all about the numbers – a complete healthy life

Lifestyle changes don’t happen overnight.   So when you’re on the long haul,  it’s vital to have things to celebrate along the way.   While I loved seeing the numbers on the scales go down,  this didn’t happen every week.   I realised that it was just as important not to let the scales dominate my life and be the sole measure of success.   I was pursuing a complete healthy life.  This is where Non Scale Victories (NSV) came in.   Small things happened to me that turned out to be significant in changing my lifestyle as a whole rather than just losing weight.

One of those first significant changes happened when I pulled the belt on my trousers and discovered that it went past the usual hole and I had to fasten the buckle on the next hole.   Oh wow,  a little firework went off in my head, which triggered a big smile and an on the spot celebration dance!

When I found there were no more holes left in my belt,  I was prompted to go out and buy a smaller belt.   A happy consequence to losing weight was walking around in baggy clothes because I was losing inches as well.   A shopping trip to buy new clothes is a nice treat and something I used as a non food reward to celebrate milestones.   I did have to be sensible about buying too many new clothes especially while still losing weight/size because I didn’t stay one size for very long.

CC showing oversized jeans, too big for her new healthy life
I can’t wear these anymore!

Over the years I’ve had a variety of non scale victories, some that I’d never thought about as a big deal until they happened.   There was the first time that I was standing up, looked down and saw my feet rather than my big belly that used to hide them.   Another time was bathing in the shower and feeling my ribs,  also looking in the mirror and seeing my collar bone actually visible.

Non scale victories can be like seeds that are planted in your mind.   They sprout up into buds that blossom.   A single bud standing alone isn’t much to look at,  but a field of buds can grow into a blossom meadow where you’d want to linger and spend time.

Each small victory is empowering.   Like when I refused to eat any of the impromptu biscuits that were offered around in a work staff meeting because I hadn’t planned biscuits into my menu that day.   It gave me a feeling of self control and the more I made these kind of smart choices,  the better I felt and the easier it was to do it again.   Of course maintaining a healthy life is not always so straightforward.  But bit by bit the change in my mindset was forming,  until it became my ‘normal’.  Now I’m able to control impulsive decisions when faced with indulgence.   I’ve also learned that I don’t have to be perfect or dwell on the occasions that I do overindulge. What’s done is done,  I acknowledge it and get back to ‘normal’.   This is one of my greatest non scale victories.



Posted on

Rewards – because you’re so worth it

Let’s talk rewards.   In this fast paced world,  we can feel pressured to be everything to everyone and to do it all in our home life and career.   Whether you’re a working mum or full time homemaker,  a dad providing for his family and diy-ing everything around the house,  a student trying to get good grades or a young person trying make your parents proud, in the modern world the weight of the traditional stereotypes still bares heavy.   All these things build up into stress,  which for me was one of the reasons I ended up at a very unhealthy weight.   I take full responsibility for myself.   I just didn’t make good choices about what I ate or did.

Making the decision to change my lifestyle was the first achievement.   As I’ve mentioned before,  the achievements that come along during the long journey need to be recognised.   Whether just mentally noted or written in a journal.   I’m a visual type of person,  so seeing my progress on paper,  in a chart or comparison photos helped me to realise how far I’d come.   I believe achievements should be celebrated in a practical way.  There is no harm in giving yourself rewards.

It’s important to be kind to yourself and take the time to do something for yourself.  Essentially we need to love life and enjoy the present.   I learnt to be kind to myself by using treats and rewards for reaching small targets/goals and celebrating non scale victories.   The main thing here is that these treats and rewards would not include food.   I had to break the cycle of food related treats,  I used to think, “I’ve had a great exercise session,  so now I’ve earned a chocolate bar”,  sounds crazy but true.   Besides my food treats can be worked into a daily meal plan as part of a balanced diet,  this way I stay in control.   I try not to make them an extra thing because this can get out of control and lead to overindulgence.

Some of my favourite treats are baths with a new bubble bath on the market,  scented candles,  nail polish, make up,  costume jewellery,  a book or a new cd/music download – somehow life feels better to music.   Some treats have helped to enhance my healthy lifestyle,  a new pair of shoes/trainers/walking shoes, leads to new socks or sports wear which spur me on to exercise more.  Then there’s gadgets and technology which I see as investments into my healthy lifestyle,  or just a simple bunch of flowers or a plant that brighten my day.

Photo of walking shoes    Be kind to yourself – new walking shoes or a bunch of flowers, some of my little celebration treats

Rewards and treats don’t always have to be new things.  I’ve enjoyed rediscovering clothes, cosmetics and toiletries I had stored at home and not used. There were also the clothes that were too tight or small that now fit.   I even had new clothes that I couldn’t quite fit into or didn’t like how they looked.  As my body shape changed,  I would try them on and be delighted when the day came that I was more comfortable in them.   This sort of thing also gave me a little target to aim for.   Whatever you’re choice of celebration is,  the thing to remember is to mark the moment……..after all, you’re so worth it!

Posted on

Portion control- Have my cake and eat it too!

Eating cake sounds like a bit of a contradiction to pursuing a healthy lifestyle but in fact no food should be off limits. I’m fully aware that I have a ‘sweet tooth’ and I’ve often joked that I don’t just have a sweet tooth, I have a full set! Unhealthy habits of overindulging on sweet, sugary, high fat foods and drinks was one of the reasons that I became obese in the first place.  Having said that, I know my life would pretty boring if I were to completely cut out indulgent food.  Also realistically I wouldn’t be able to keep it going for very long either.  This is where portion control comes in.

The thing that appealed to me most about the Weight Watchers program is that they don’t tell you what to eat and no food/drink is off limits . That’s important to me because I don’t like to feel restricted, that’s too much like a diet and I don’t like diets!  I spent some time getting to know which foods are better to eat in large quantities and which foods are better in small quantities.

Throughout my weight loss / lifestyle change journey I’ve had to acquire the skill of portion control, mostly through trial and error.  Starting with the basics of weighing and measuring foods to be sure of the amount that I was consuming.  There is no doubt that this can be time consuming but I’m willing to invest my time in doing something for my own long term benefit.  I bought a set of kitchen scales, which live on the counter top and after a while this became a routine part of my food preparation.

I’ve also learnt that along with portion control, an equal measure of self control is needed to really make a difference.  I give myself permission to enjoy my favourite sweet foods in small quantities.  For me it’s better to have a couple mini biscuits most days than to try to restrict myself to one or two regular sized biscuits a couple times a week. A personal preference which works for me.

A cup of cafe au lait and mini biscuits
One of my faves – Cafe au lait & mini biscuits

It took a while for me to really get to grips with portion control.  From experience I no longer buy large slabs or share bags of chocolate.  All the good intentions in the world doesn’t stop me from munching my way through them.  My mind is satisfied when I have a full portion whatever size it may be, so mini packs it is for me.

Another way that I work indulgent foods into my week is to plan for them.  If I have a birthday or similar celebration coming up, I take extra care to plan sensible healthy meals, as well as keeping up my exercise in the days leading up to it.  This helps me to fully enjoy the celebration without feeling like I’ve let myself go.  To me, special occasions should feel special and different to my daily routine.  Every day may be someone in the world’s birthday but that doesn’t mean I’ll be eating to cake everyday.  Know yourself and stay in control.